In the United States, buckeye ranges from the Appalachians
of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina westward to Kansas, Oklahoma,
and Texas. Buckeye is not customarily separated from other species when
manufactured into lumber and can be utilized for the same purposes as aspen,
basswood, and sap yellow-poplar. The following description is for yellow
buckeye (Aesculus octandra).

The Tree

Buckeye is a tree 30 to 70 ft (9 to 21 m) high and 2 ft (0.6
m) in diameter. It grows best in rich moist soil along the banks of streams
and in river bottoms. Buckeye matures in 60 to 80 years. It is one of the
initial trees to leaf-out in the spring. The twigs have a foul odor when
broken.

The Wood

General

The white sapwood of buckeye merges gradually into the creamy
or yellowish white heartwood. The wood is uniform in texture, generally
straight-grained, light in weight, weak when used as a beam, soft, and low
in shock resistance. It is rated low on machinability such as shaping, mortising,
boring, and turning. The centers of logs can be discolored to grayish brown,
due to a sapstain fungus.